German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President, Emmanuel Macron have spoken with China’s state and party leader Xi Jinping about the Ukraine war.

The exchange on Tuesday took place during a video call, Chinese state television reported.

Messrs Scholz and Macron had sought talks with Mr Jinping to advance diplomatic efforts to end the war.

However, China stood behind its “strategic partner’’ Russia, as Foreign Minister Wang Yi had made clear the day before. Beijing also refused to condemn the invasion.

In the UN Security Council, China had only abstained from voting, which France’s president had nevertheless emphasised positively before the joint talks with Mr Jinping.

Speaking to the media in Beijing on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian was rather reserved and unspecific about hopes that China, with its influence on Russia, might be able to play a mediating role.

Similar to Mr Wang the day before, the spokesperson only said China supported all diplomatic efforts that were conducive to a peaceful solution.

“We will like to play a constructive role in promoting peace talks, and when necessary, we are ready to work with the international community to do the mediation together with the international community,’’ Mr Zhao said.

Foreign experts pointed out that China, with its demonstrative support for Russia, was not neutral and therefore not suitable as a mediator.

At the same time, Chinese experts in state media rejected Chinese mediation on the grounds that the West did not trust China and would first have to stop its “vicious campaigns’’ against China.

(dpa/NAN)